Garlic Magic

I made 40 Cloves and Chicken for dinner this week - a recipe which calls for 40 whole cloves of peeled garlic.  I've made it before and tediously peeled each garlic by hand, but I figured there had to be a better way.

And there is!  And it is unbelievably easy!  I put all my garlic cloves in a big lightweight aluminum pot and put the lid on and shook it has hard as I could.  When I took the lid off - at least half of the cloves had fallen out of the peel.  I shook some more and more came out.  The website where I got this technique did it with two big metal bowls - one holding the garlic and one upside down as a lid.  I know there is some scientific explanation for how it works, but it seemed like magic to me!

March Eatz

1st & 3rd...
W - Hearty Sausage & Beans, Salad
R - Minestrone Soup, Crusty Rolls
F - Santa Fe Black Bean Salad, Bread Sticks
S - Spaghetti, Salad, Rolls
U - Red Chili with Beans & Corn Muffins
M - Mojo Chicken, Black Beans, Rice & Yellow Sauce
T - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Tomato soup

2nd & 4th...
W - Bramble Beans, Salad
R - 40 Cloves & a Chicken, Broccoli, Carrots
F - Shepherds Pie
S - White Chili, Tortilla Crisps
U - Pork Shoulder, Dumplings, Sauerkraut, Green Beans
M - Carnitas, Refried Beans
T - BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Baked Beans





I am really starting to like this 4 week mean plan thing.  For one, it really does save money, but for another, it really saves a lot of time thinking.  It also helps me see more clearly how long my staples last.  In typing this out, I see I have a lot of bread the first week and next to none the second.  Well, I guess we will see how that goes. 

The bean eating is going well, the bean cooking is a little tedious, mostly because it requires thinking!  I get tempted to buy canned, but those dry beans are so stinking cheap!  They lure me back.

Cinnamon Candy

I made the cinnamon candy for Rob.  I used the same method as in the lollies except I used cinnamon oil for flavoring and poured the melted candy into little canals in the sugar to make long ropes.  I cut the ropes into bites when they were pliable and the ones in the picture are how the better ones look.  I used 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon oil and they were pleasantly cinnamon-y - a few of them were fire-hot.  Rob prefers them fire-hot, so next time I will use a full teaspoon.

Hummus

The bean saga continues!  It hasn't been that long since I became brave enough to even try hummus and now here I am making it.  It turns out that my little bean lady (Annalise) loves the stuff and it has grown on me as well.  I've bought 8 oz. of prepared hummus for about $3 - and because it calls for an ingredient (tahini) that not everyone keeps in their pantry - this is probably a reasonable price.  I saw a homemade cost of 85 cents and I think that is a stretch.  I think 8oz comes closer to $2 and if you are only going to make it one time, it's going to cost a lot more.  I am going to make it until I get the the bottom of my pound of tahini and not waste one drop!

That said, making hummus is ridiculously easy.  Step one: prepare the chickpeas in the usual way.  Either soak them in water (4/1 ratio) overnight or do a "quick soak" (boil 2 minutes and let set covered 1 hour).  Then drain and recover with fresh water and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 

I used 1/2 cup dry chickpeas.  In general bean volume doubles after cooking, so this is the same as 1 cup canned.

Step 2 - the only even slightly difficult part:  Peel your cooked chickpeas.  It is much easier to peel them if you put them in ice water right away.  Stir gently and some of the skins will come off on their own.  The others come off easily by squeezing the beans.  If you wait until they are completely cool, the skins will not come off as easily.  (I learned this the hard way.)

You *can* make it with the skins on, but it will be gritty and I liked it less that way.

Step 3:  Put all desired ingredients in a food processor and puree.

They had exactly 1 brand of Tahini in Publix.  $7+ for 1lb. 

I think making hummus is akin to making potato salad, it is not necessary to follow a recipe to the letter.  You may like more or less tahini, garlic or lemon juice.  We added roasted red peppers.  Usually this is a light lunch for us and an extra serving of beans!  Happy bean eating!!